Triangular
by Daigosan
Summary: HGSS gameverse fic. Oneshots pertaining to Hibiki/Kotone/Rival. Shippings are mostly Rival/Kotone. Topics can be anything, but mostly deals with romance and feelings and certain questionable events in the HGSS games-think radio tower-. Contains spoilers
1. Valentine's Day RK

**Important note before reading:** This is a purely gameverse fic. The rival is named Kanade, because he has no default name in the games. Silver is not his name, no matter how often others like to use it. Personally I don't care, though I don't like to be part of mainstream anyways. Kanade (奏) means to play/perform a musical instrument, and I thought the name fits with Kotone, which means the sound of harps.

* * *

**Valentine's Day**

Kanade would have secluded himself to the Dragon's den for the entire day, if it were not for the inconvenient fact that people (and pokemon) have a tendency to become hungry after training for 6 hours non-stop. It was especially becoming inconvenient now as his feraligatr smashed and crushed and shot jets of water with increasing difficulty. If Kanade was his older self, he would have kept it training until it dropped immobile to the ground. But he would not do that now, not after Professor Elm had at least put that much trust in him even though he probably didn't deserve it. On the other hand, Kanade really did not want to lose to _her_ again, though balancing training and care was still a difficult task for him.

It was with the combined needs of the trainer and the pokemon that Kanade went back to Blackthorn city with Feraligatr in tow. The February air was crisp and frigid, as it was especially so in the mountainous regions. The boy shoved his hands deeper in his pockets. The Dragon's Den was perpetually warm due to the power of the dragons that reside there, so Kanade did not need to dress too thickly. But when he needed to go out of the cave for whatever reason, he made sure to finish his errand as soon as possible.

Being one of the more secluded cities of the Johto region, there were few people around even at the bustling dinner time. Kanade trudged past a couple flirting on the side of the road to his favorite take-away food shop for ham and cheese wrapped up in a hot pancake, and just ham for Feraligatr. The duo then headed towards the Pokemon center, their refuge from the cold outside. Along the way, they saw a few more couples laughing, talking, arms entwined. One pair was even kissing, completely unaware of their surroundings.

"What's with all these lovers today..." Kanade grumbled, but did not dawdle long on the topic as it was getting too cold to think.

The sky was already dark when they arrived. Kanade decided he would call it a day and leave his pokemon on the machines for the night.

_Swish_. A giant white hat with a red bow, two crescent-shaped pigtails, red shirt and blue overalls with hardly cold-repelling thigh-high stockings: the girl befitting such a description emerged from the automatic doors of the Pokemon center. She looked flustered, and was mumbling about something under her breath.

"Geez, where did that--"

She looked up at the same time that Kanade turned around to see where the gust of cold air had come from.

"AH!" YOU!" Both boy and girl exclaimed as they recognized one another.

"What are you doing here?" The girl, known as Kotone, demanded as she stormed up to the counter. Apparently, she was annoyed for some reason Kanade cannot grasp.

So he frowned. "Healing my pokemon...?"

"I-I knew that."

An awkward silence lasting a second passed. It was uncanny for either of them to meet up on an occasion that was not to battle.

"I thought you never leave Dragon's Den, you hermit." Kotone scorned at her rival.

"Well, I have to eat, you know." He retorted.

"Couldn't you have done that in there?"

Kanade wondered why the crazy girl was so insistent on him staying at Dragon's Den.

"I don't have to." He said simply, "What are you doing in this place, anyways? You've got the Rising Badge already."

"I...I'm taking a walk."

"On a mountain in February?"

"Yeah, got a problem?"

"You two."

"What?" They turned around at the same time to register a stranger's voice. It was a nurse from the center, with a very stern look on her face.

"If you want to flirt, go outside and stop annoying the other customers."

"We're not flirting!" Kotone protested. Kanade gave a scowl that indicated the same message.

"I don't care, you're too loud." The nurse replied curtly. "Out." A Blissey appeared out of nowhere from behind her and gave them a happy wave.

* * *

"I never knew Blissey could learn mega punch......" Kotone rubbed her aching tailbone where the blissey had landed the blow.

"So what were you doing at the pokemon center? I find it hard to believe you came just to argue with me." Kanade asked, also in the same condition due to the Blissey's attack.

"Same reason as you...'cept I can't go back now because you're so loud."

"Me? You were the one who--"

Kotone raised a hand to stop his further protests. "Shush. I just remembered something. Count yourself lucky you ran into me today, or else you would never have gotten one."

"Gotten one what?"

"Here." Kotone thrusted a package into his hands, if the lighting was better, Kanade would see that her face was slightly pink. The package was a little heart-shaped box with a ribbon glued on the cover. "Valentine chocolates."

Suddenly, Kanade realized why the atmosphere of the city had seemed so strange. He had totally forgotten it was the holiday for lovers today.

"They're just friend chocolates, so...so don't get any weird ideas!" Kotone explained huffily.

"I didn't ask for any chocolates." The boy said.

"Oh, so you don't want them. Give them back, then."

"No." Kanade refused, and before Kotone could protest or take action, he opened the box and popped one of the chocolates into his mouth. Hey, he was hungry.

A few seconds passed in silence between them as the boy savoured the morsel.

"Too sweet."

"What?!" Kotone cried, flustered and outraged, "You don't even like it! Spit it out, give it back!" Then she tried to reach up and grab the chocolates out of his hand, but their height difference rendered her attempts unsuccessful.

"Why are you so uptight?"

"I'm not uptight!"

"They're just friend chocolates."

"So? I made them myself and being underappreciated offends me!"

"Oh." Kanade felt a little twinge of guilt, but he was not about to apologize for anything. "Well, it doesn't matter what my opinion is, as long as the one who got your lover's chocolate likes them."

"Well..." Kotone looked away uneasily, "He...didn't like them, at least I think not."

"He's an asshole then."

"Yeah, a really big one." The girl said pointedly.

Kanade peered down at her from the corner of one eye.

"And I had to look all over to find him today, he wasn't even where he was supposed to be..." She crossed her arms and kept complaining. "He really is an asshole. Right, Kanade?"

The boy did not answer her question, it was rhetorical, anyways. He studied the brown confectionery in his hands; they were all heart-shaped, and decorated with tiny white chocolate swirls on top. That kind of detail was beyond his skill to make, so he was impressed that Kotone was capable of it.

"These are friend chocolates, you say?" He asked.

"Y-yes." Kotone answered. "And they were spare, too. See, I couldn't find uh, Eusine today. Suicune must have been feeling adventurous."

"I see." Kanade responded vaguely.

"So...I better be going, then." She fidgeted, uneasy at his curtness. "Happy Valentine's."

As she turned to leave, feeling the freezing air colder than ever on her thinly covered legs, something happened.

Kotone felt Kanade's hand close on her wrist, and her first reflex was to pull away. But his grasp was firm, and she sensed some purpose as he pulled her closer to him. Like the time when he asked her to team up with him against Lance and Claire, and that incident at the Goldenrod radio tower where he...she would rather not think of it now. In any case, Kanade probably has a good reason (of his own agenda) to grab her suddenly like this. He was not the type to make unnecessary skin contact, except when he wanted to show that he was the tougher one by shoving others...

The thoughts raced quickly through Kotone's mind, she was so preoccupied that she did not even notice Kanade's face was closer --much closer-- to her face that she had recalled. His breath, visible and brushing on her cheeks smelled sweet of chocolate. It had begun to snow; there were little clumps of it stuck to his crimson hair and his face, where they quickly transformed to tiny droplets. Kotone became highly aware that she could see these details (usually unnoticed due to the distance he kept from her), and that the air in the distance between them had warmed enough for her to not become too startled when he moved his hand so that it rest on her shoulder, close to her neck. Outsiders must be busy staring at them and getting the spectacular wrong idea, and Kotone felt a rush of warmth to her cheeks at this thought. Thank goodness it was Valentine's Day, and nobody cared to notice.

There was one thing that bothered Kotone; Kanade's eyes were inscrutable. What happened to the easily-read blushes and frantic turning-aways of faces and scowls? She could see none of that now. Just Kanade's face, now only a few inches away, with an unreadable expression.

Their lips were directly in front of each other's.

_What is this?_

_Wait, it, it can't be?_

_Should I pull away? Should I push him away? Should I just stop him? Slap him?_

Kotone kept her eyes open until all she could see was the color red --the color of Kanade's eyes, same as his hair--, then the tension became too great, and she squeezed them shut. She knew perfectly well what was coming, she wanted to struggle, wanted to say something. But the touch of his hand, now sliding up her neck to her cheek, she did not want that warmth gone. Nor did she want to miss the--

So she kept her eyes closed and waited. And waited.

And waited a few seconds more.

And it never came. His hand also left her skin, leaving a distant warmth where it had been.

Kotone's eyes snapped open, seeing Kanade there, with a smirk on his face. Instantly, she knew she should have slapped him.

"Well...what was that all about?" Suppressing the annoyance, embarrassment, and a strange sense of loss bubbling in the pit of her stomach, Kotone asked.

"A prank." He said. "For the lie you told me."

"What?"

Kanade turned back to Feraligatr, who looked as apologetic as giant crocodiles could.

"Thanks for the chocolates." He said over his shoulder.

She did not respond.

"Actually, I don't dislike them." He added.

And then the boy left with his pokemon.

Kotone was trying to decide whether she was angry or disappointed, and whether it was at herself or Kanade, and whether she really had wanted what happened a minute ago to proceed as it should have.

But the fact was, she had lied about the chocolates, and he saw through her. It was the one battle she minded losing, and she had lost.

Ignoring the townspeople, she turned in the direction he went and screamed as loud as she could through trembling body and scarlet face.

"Kanade...you...you...GIGANTIC. ASSHOLE!"

* * *

Around a block, Kanade heard the girl's anguished cry. Feraligatr rumbled, as if to ask "are you really okay with that?".

"It's fine." He said. "She's right, anyways."

As long as they still can't be truthful to one another. For the time, anyways.

"I'd better not do that again unless it's for real."

A low questioning growl.

"Because...maybe the prank is on me just as much as it's on her."

* * *

-end-


	2. Rivals RK

**Important note before reading:** This is a purely gameverse fic. The rival is named Kanade, because he has no default name in the games. Silver is not his name, no matter how often others like to use it. Personally I don't care, though I don't like to be part of mainstream anyways. Kanade (奏) means to play/perform a musical instrument, and I thought the name fits with Kotone, which means the sound of harps.

* * *

**Rivals**

Kanade had forgotten the number of times he had lost a battle to her.

Come to think of it, he had never won even once. Not on the first time they met on the outskirts of Cherrygrove, and not afterwards. At first, losing felt like a nuisance. He swore he would train harder and victory would be his next time. Then the slow, crushing realization dawned: No matter how hard he tried, the separation between their levels was too great, just like the separation between their ideals.

_"I know you're strong...but I don't want to go without a fight!"_

And before he knew it...

* * *

Kanade didn't know how it happened, all he knew was that her arms were wrapped tightly around his middle, and her face was buried into the front of his jacket. Her hat had fallen off so the stray strands of her hair tickled his chin. It was a good thing no one else was on the balcony of the temple at Dragon's Den, and the cave was dark so other trainers at the edge of the lake could not see them anyways. Kanade was training, as usual, when Kotone showed up. Without a word she had walked up to him and clung on like a baby pokemon. He could feel her back rising and falling beneath his hands that were placed awkwardly around her for what he hoped was the right thing to do. She seemed to be crying, or trying hard not to, he couldn't tell.

And Kanade really did not know how to deal with this.

"You lost again?" He asked tentatively.

She nodded silently, rubbing her face against his jacket.

"To Red?"

Nod, and she clutched him tighter. Kanade felt himself unable to breathe, for more reasons than the physical ones. He didn't remember the last time Kotone had been in such close proximity to him.

Still, he couldn't help smirking, it was his nature, "So, you finally know how it feels like to lose to one person over and over again."

She raised her head, her eyes were red but her face was not tear-stained. "I'm here because you understand."

"You think I would comfort someone who made me feel this way ever since we first met?"

Kotone turned to press her cheek against him. "You would for me."

How blunt and insensitive of her! Come to think of it, why didn't she go to her other trainer friends? Surely they must have suffered some losses themselves. Or better yet, gym leader Green who was Red's rival, and more than suitable to comfort and banter with her about how ungodly strong Red is.

As if reading his thoughts, "I can't go see Green-san. Not like this...He hoped I'd be the one to beat Red-san and get him to come down from Mt. Silver...I can't let him know...I haven't ever won against Red-san..."

Kanade felt a pang of annoyance at the Viridian Gym Leader then. The dirty work of dragging one's t-shirt clad bosom friend down from a snow-capped mountain should not be delegated to anyone else.

"Kanade...is this how it feels to know you can never beat someone...?"

The red-haired boy was silent. What was he supposed to say? He won't lie, but admitting such would mean admitting he would never be able to beat her, and he didn't want to admit that to her.

"I'm so frustrated, I tried so hard. Typhlosion tried so hard, all my pokemon did. But they can't win at all...there's no way, it's hopeless!"

"Yeah, it's hopeless."

"That's not very uplifting."

She had let go of him and was sitting up against the railings, hugging her knees. Kanade sat down beside her.

"I don't get it Kanade. Why do you keep challenging me even when you can't win?"

"Hearing you say that pisses me off."

"…sorry."

Kanade made a point to wear one of his you're-annoying-me faces.

"......You think I should give up?"

"Of course not." Kanade snapped. Then regretted he had said it without much thought, as it was the matter-of-fact thing to say to a person asking such a question. "Well..."

"Red-san is the strongest. He's legendary. You think a young trainer like me can ever have a chance?"

"You're strong too.'Course you do."

"I'm...not."

"Yes you are!" He raised his voice without thinking. "You have all the gym badges, you make the Elite 4 tremble in their fancy little rooms, you defeat me over and over again no matter how hard I train! And you still say you're not strong enough?!"

Kotone looked at him, as if to say something. But she stopped herself and crouched tighter together instead.

"I guess...But now it's like a giant wall in front of me. Something I can't go over." She explained patiently, mouth hidden behind her knees, "I really love Pokemon and battling and training. I don't want to be standing where I am now; I want to keep going, to be stronger, to battle lots with lots of people. I can't do that if there's an obstacle constantly in front of me."

Kanade closed his eyes. "Well, I'm not standing where I am."

He could feel Kotone looking at him. Sharp that she was, she couldn't have missed the implication in what he said. Perhaps she was waiting for him to clarify.

"Just because there's a tall wall, it doesn't mean you can only stand there." Kanade rubbed the back of his head. He was always bad at putting his thoughts into words. "I've always tried to cross the wall. I fail all the time, but I grow a little stronger every time I try. Sure, the wall grows taller too. Maybe someday I'll lose sight of its top altogether. But I'll never stop reaching, because...I'm only alive if I keep going."

The boy turned back to his rival, wondering why he was trying to cheer her on to become even more impossible for him to beat. She seemed to be contemplating something, resting her chin on her knees.

"So...is that what you meant at Mt. Moon?"

"What?"

"What you said there." Kotone continued. "Something like, you know I'm strong, but you're not going away without a fight."

He had forgotten what he said, but now that she mentioned it, he probably did say such a thing. It resonated in agreement with his beliefs.

"Yeah. I know I can't beat you. But battling is not just about winning."

"Heh. Fancy hearing that coming out of you."

"Shut up." He growled. He had changed, but Kotone still teased him about his past antics sometimes. Maybe a few months ago, he would have still thought pokemon that can't win a battle were worthless, and that losing had no merit at all. But it wasn't the same now, thanks to the losses he had suffered, perhaps. And he was happier this way.

"Well." She suddenly stood up and dusted off her overalls. "I think I feel a little better now. Thanks."

"I didn't do anything."

The girl shrugged as if to say "whatever you say". Then stretched and sent out her red gyarados towards the lake. Its glistening crimson scales came in sharp contrast with the dim, cold-coloured surroundings. Kanade felt a slight stab of jealousy when he saw it, as it was a symbol of her ability as a trainer: the girl who tamed the red gyarados, as some have called her.

"One more thing, Kanade." Kotone twirled to face him with a devilish smile.

"...what?"

"I'll never let you defeat me." She announced, and chuckled when he arched an eyebrow and scowled.

"If you could defeat me, you won't be my rival anymore. So I won't let you."

Kanade was about to say that of course they would still be rivals--

"Just...my rival, that is."

Alright, he didn't know how to respond to that. The girl was as unfathomable as she was exasperating. And she was already surfing away on her red gyarados, but he thought he saw her skip before jumping from the platform onto the pokemon.

* * *

The blizzard was cutting on skin as usual, and Red, clad in short-sleeves and jeans, bore the same unreadable expression from underneath his hat as usual. An aura of immense power exuding from every inch of his being.

"Red-san, I know you're strong."

Kotone gulped, cold air stinging her throat.

"But...still...I don't want to go without a fight!"

* * *

-end-


	3. Rainy Day Reprise RK

**Important note before reading:** This is a purely gameverse fic. The rival is named Kanade, because he has no default name in the games. Silver is not his name, no matter how often others like to use it. Personally I don't care, though I don't like to be part of mainstream anyways. Kanade (奏) means to play/perform a musical instrument, and I thought the name fits with Kotone, which means the sound of harps.

**This Chapter is M rated.**

* * *

**Rainy Day - Reprise**

The rain has the uncanny ability of bringing people together.

A downpour caught Kanade unexpected and unprepared. He was especially not fond of getting wet, as he had no fire pokemon to help with drying off and keeping warm afterwards. It was a blessing that his jacket was somewhat waterproof. It kept most of his inner clothes dry, but does nothing at all for his hair and trousers, which were soaked by the rain in a little less than 10 seconds. He had decided against taking off his jacket and using it as a makeshift cover, as it would mean his t-shirt would be soaked as well. So he did the only thing he could: Run for cover.

He was lucky to have found the cave; it was mostly dry and sloped slightly upwards so that rain did not fall into the interiors. There were old stalagmites hanging from the roof, and a few boulders strewn around. Kanade shed off his jacket and spread it out on one of the large rocks to dry, then sat down to wait for the rain to pass.

It was not long before he had another visitor.

"Damn this weather...ugh, my hair...are you alright, Typhlosion?"

A small grunt from the pokemon indicated the affirmative. A girl entered the cave, the large pokemon with her shook its body free of droplets before emitting fire from its neck to dry off what remained. The girl was busy wringing her clothing and hair when she noticed the other presence in the cave.

"K-Kanade?" Kotone asked. He stood up and came closer.

"It's been a while." She greeted. "You stuck here too?"

"Yeah, lousy weather."

Kotone agreed. Then leaned against the wall and wringed her hat absent-mindedly, as if not knowing what else to say.

"Aren't you going to dry your clothes?" Kanade asked.

"With what?"

He pointed to the large fire beast beside her.

"You can't use pokemon fire to dry your clothes, dummy." She chided, "They'll either burn it, or your clothes will shrink."

"So what are you going to do about them?"

"Take them off and wait for them to dry."

"What?"

Kanade wanted to make sure he heard that right.

"But...since we're both here...I guess that won't work."

Kotone sat down close to her typhlosion and drew her knees to herself. Despite the pokemon's warmth, she was still shivering. Her wet clothes and hair clung to her body, dripping into a puddle forming on the floor. Kanade studied her, wondering whether he should do something to help. His eyes drifted to his jacket lying open on the boulder behind them in the cave. Its exterior was clammy from the water, but the inside was still dry, as it had also preserved the condition of his t-shirt.

The boy went and took his jacket from the boulder. A string of "what are you doing?"s buzzed in his mind as he walked over to the girl and her pokemon. She can't stay soaked like that, who knows how long the rain might last? Even though she had a fire pokemon, she'll still catch a cold or get pneumonia or hypothermia or...in any case, she needed to--

"Take your clothes off." He ordered, handing her his jacket.

From the strange look she gave him and Typhlosion's snarl, he realized that thinking while trying to talk was not a good idea. And this was sounding a lot like déjà vu; of something neither of them really wanted to talk about until this day.

"I-I mean!" Kanade frantically tried to explain, feeling his face going hot. "You, you can't just wear wet clothes. My jacket's dry on the inside, you can wear it while you wait for your other stuff to dry. I-I'll look away."

And he obediently did so before she could refuse. After a pause, he heard her mutter a small thanks and the slop of wet clothes and familiar rustling of his jacket from behind.

"Ok. You can turn around now."

He heard Kotone's voice, and turned to find her clad in his jacket--only his jacket, or so it seems-- zipped up to the collar. Kanade was instantly thankful that he was tall enough so that his jacket covered what needed to be on her, with only her bare legs protruding from the bottom. She was busy tying a length of escape rope on the stalagmites (creative use of the tool, he had to admit) and hanging her wet clothing up to dry.

"Thanks for the jacket, it's really warm." She said.

"Y-yeah." Kanade mumbled, and sneezed.

"Are you ok?" Kotone asked, concerned. "We can sit with Typhlosion together, if you'd like."

_I don't think your pokemon likes me very much._ Thought Kanade.

"No, I'm fine." He said instead. Even though it was cold, he didn't want to show any weakness.

"You've got to get warmer, and I know you haven't got a fire pokemon."

"It's none of your business."

Kotone winced at his words. She would feel horrible if he became sick due to her taking his jacket.

Truthfully, Kotone hadn't want to meet him here, she knew he would do such a thing for her, as he had done before. She thought they were both soaked, so there was nothing they could do for each other this time. And before she could invite him to sit with the only fire pokemon between the both of them, he had offered another kindness to her.

She couldn't just leave him there, alone.

"Come sit with us." Kotone insisted.

"No."

"Why not?" She pressed, "Don't say you're not cold. It's a lie."

"So what if I am? I'm not hugging your pokemon."

"What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing. I just--"

"Then," the girl was just a few steps away from him now, "why are you not accepting my help?"

"I don't want to accept any of your charity." Kanade replied coldly.

Kotone felt her head grow hot. A sour feeling bloomed from the bridge of her nose to her eyes.

"My charity? Oh, so is this all about your manly pride?" She took a step towards him, "That you can do all sorts of things for me and I can't do any in return? Or else I'm hurting your pride?"

"N-no, it's--"

"So it is, then. You think I'd be happy if you got sick because you wanted me to be warm?"

"You don't have to care, we're rivals..."

"Well, you didn't either!" Kotone yelled, unable to control the tears that flooded out. "I'm not some damsel-in-distress waiting for you to take care of me! I, if I was in your place, of-of course I'd do what I can for you as well! Don't you get that these things are mutual?!"

Kanade did not answer.

Kotone stared at him for a while, tears dripping down on his jacket. Suddenly, she ran to her bag, took out a pokeball, and recalled Typhlosion.

"What are you doing?" Kanade asked, alarmed.

"Making it even," the girl snapped as she marched back to him. "I'm just as stubborn as you, you know."

He wanted to ask what that meant when suddenly she pushed him against the wall of the cave and dragged him to sit down beside her.

"Wh--"

Without warning, Kotone zipped open the front of her --his-- jacket. Kanade gave a yelp and tried to cover his eyes. The girl quickly slipped out from the garment and flung it over the both of them while she sidled up close to him.

"This way, you can't say you're accepting my charity. We're getting warmth from each other, we're even now."

Kanade was not listening, all he knew was that her skin was pressing against his skin, and his heart was threatening to break loose from his ribcage. Although he could not see her due to the jacket covering them, he could feel her shoulder underneath his left arm, and her side touching his side--except her side was nearly naked.

"Wha-what-what're you doing?"

"Keeping warm." She said.

"You're insane." Kanade turned his head away from her to clear his mind. There was warmth, whether from his increased heartbeat or from the person next to him, he didn't know.

Kotone lowered her eyes. "I just don't want you to have all the glory."

"Sly woman." Her rival grumbled, then discovering his left arm to be uncomfortable with Kotone wedged under it, and he rearranged his limb so that it draped over her shoulders.

"Mmm, it's warm." She snuggled closer. "So is your hand."

Kanade found his left hand held by her cold fingers, he took them and passed whatever warmth he could to them.

"Kanade, you're so kind." Kotone spoke softly from under him. "Yet you never want anyone to be kind to you in return. I don't get it."

"I don't want to talk about it."

Kotone could probably guess the reason for that. She had seen what happened between him and his father due to a chance encounter with a celebi. But she would not tell him now, and probably not ever.

"Ok." That was all she said.

They sat in silence for a long time, with just the sound of their breathing and heartbeats. Kotone was slowly coming to the realization of what she had done on the whim of anger. She was clad in nothing but underwear, and cradled in the arms of a boy...

The things her mother would say about this...

Then again, there were many things her mother would say if she knew the full details of her adventures.

Kotone craned her neck to look at Kanade, and found him with his eyes closed, presumably asleep. She reached up and touched his face. No reaction.

She slipped out carefully from under his arm into a kneeling position to see his face more clearly. He was frowning even in his sleep, the troubled boy.

Then, she brushed a wet strand of crimson hair away, and kissed him on the lips--just a small peck, like yanma alighting on water.

Kotone wasn't sure why she had done it. Maybe she felt thankful, or maybe it was to reassure him in his perpetual scowl. Her lips lingered in the air millimeters away, then, she pressed them lightly against his again.

Maybe, she simply wanted to.

Kanade's hand reached up to cup her face, fingers becoming entangled in her hair. Kotone started, but he did not let her break the kiss. They kept this position of neither advancing nor retreating, just savouring the sensation of each other.

Or maybe, they both wanted to.

"Sorry, I just--" Kotone blurted when they finally pulled apart. She was now straddling one of his legs, with one of his hands on her waist. The jacket had slipped halfway down her back, and she suddenly realized her front was entirely visible to the boy before her. She yelped and tried to salvage some dignity, but Kanade pulled her towards him with surprising force.

"Stop hiding. It's not like I haven't seen it before." He growled in her ear, feeling her body tremble.

"Haha." She laughed feebly in his arms, "I once said that I can't get married now that a guy saw me in my underwear."

"Yeah, I think you did."

"This makes it a second time, doesn't it."

"I guess."

Kanade's mind had been flushed with white since the first delicate kiss their shared. He held her close to his chest. Never letting her go, just wanting to feel every bit of her, because if he unraveled his arms, the distance between them would form again, and it would be harder than ever to overcome it. He knew they had to part, but at least, for this moment...

"Kanade...Kanade!" Kotone's calling of his name woke him. "You're squishing me."

He let go almost unwillingly, and contrary to what he was afraid of, she did not back away from him.

She sat on his leg, suddenly girlish and embarrassed. She was just as new to this as he, this feeling of mutual attraction and something more.

"Kanade...you once said you would take me if no one else wanted me." Kotone said awkwardly, not knowing what she was getting at.

"Well, don't underestimate yourself."

"You shouldn't, either."

Their eyes met, and as if by some invisible force, they leaned in and kissed again.

"We should stop doing that." The boy said after breaking away.

"No." Kotone squared her jaws.

"Why?"

"This way, you'd always be with me."

"We have to go our separate ways, when the rain stops." Kanade looked out to the mouth of the cave; the rain was like a white curtain.

"Yes, but one day maybe you and I--"

"Maybe."

Kotone sighed in defeat.

"For now, at least, then." she touched her forehead to his and whispered, "I don't want anyone else."

That was all he needed to hear. Kanade took her mouth in his, their tongues intertwined, tasting her and letting her do the same for him. Kotone's arms came around his neck and fingers threaded into his hair, pressing him close to her, stealing a breath or two between their affections. His hands drifted down from her hair to her neck, then her collarbone and the strap of her bra. Sliding the thin band out of the way, he bent and put his lips to the hollow of her neck, feeling her gasp. Kotone clung on to him, his tongue flicked across her collarbone. His hands, previously resting on her waist, moved up her ribs and under her bra to find her breasts. She squeaked as his thumb rubbed her nipple, already hard from the cold.

Without thinking, she reached behind to unhook her bra and fling it aside. Taking that as an invitation, Kanade put his mouth over a mound and ran his tongue across its sensitive tip, his other hand mimicking his tongue's movements. Kotone felt her spine turn to jelly, and could only drape herself over him as he continued to caress her. She sunk lower in her seat, her knee slid forward and bumped something hard, making the busy person in front of her jump.

Realizing what it was, Kotone reached down and feverishly unbuckled his belt and pulled down his fly. He was wearing boxers and she pulled that down as well--

It was the first time she had seen a man's most...private part. Kotone was curious, and wondered what kind of effect it would have on her rival if she touched it. She took hold of it, and ran her fingers along the shaft. The she squeezed the tip, making Kanade jolt.

"S-stop that." He managed to croak.

Kotone grinned, and continued her own "assault" on her rival. Watching with amusement as Kanade squirmed, sighed, and tried to hide his undoubtedly embarrassing demeanor. She was relentless, the organ in her hand steadily growing harder with every passing second.

Then, without warning, Kanade reached forward and grabbed her shoulder, fingers digging into her flesh. His crimson eyes had a feral look to them.

"Put on my jacket." He hissed an order.

"Huh?"

"Just do it!"

Barely had Kotone sloppily pulled the sleeves over her arms, Kanade scooped her up and lifted her from the ground. Then, before she knew it, her back was forced against rock, and her legs were open, wrapped around his midriff. She understood he must have meant to protect her when he ordered her to put on his jacket. Kanade supported her body, but he was also gripping her hips so hard that it hurt. It would bruise later.

"Gent...ly..." Kotone pleaded. Even though he was tender at times through his brusqueness, Kanade still had a lot to learn about cherishing girls.

He didn't answer, but his hold loosened enough to be bearable. The tip of his member grinded against her panties, which were probably wet enough to be on par with her other garments. Kotone gasped, squeezing him with her thighs and her toes curling uncontrollably. Kanade emitted a sigh in her ear and pushed harder on the thin layer of fabric, directly in front of her opening. His desire was evident.

"More...?" She asked.

"More." He answered from her neck.

They fumbled together: Kotone peeling off her panties with clumsy fingers while Kanade directed her legs. When the final piece of clothing between them was rolled up and hanging unsteadily from a leg, he gathered her body to him and dove for her lips again, hearing her whimper as he pushed himself inside her. The friction and her warmth left him precariously dizzy-headed, only Kotone's soft moans and her nails digging into his back reminded him of where he was.

"Does it hurt?" Kanade asked, thinking how childish a question it was. But he wanted to know.

"Not for long." She answered stiffly, "If you move, it won't."

He pulled out a little and thrust back experimentally. Kotone cried as the wave of pleasure rocked them both.

As if having just discovered something wondrous, Kanade thrust again and again, his strokes becoming increasingly more urgent. Kotone gasped and moaned with every movement. The rough stone wall grinded against her back even through the jacket, but her mind was so clouded by the indescribable, overwhelming sensations from her lower body that she did not notice the pain. It was probably the same for Kanade, his breathing was ragged, realized by warm puffs of air on her bare chest.

"Kanade...I, I can't--" Kotone gripped his shoulders tightly as her vision began to swim. But at least he was there with her, and they would go together.

One final plunge. Kanade groaned as Kotone's body spasmed against his, squeezing him to release and climax with her. He stood for a few moments, supporting her limp form while they gulped air as if they have been holding their breaths the entire time.

Gingerly, Kanade pulled out and placed the girl on the ground. Kotone tested her wobbly legs and found that she couldn't stand. The two sunk to the floor together.

White, murky stuff had begun to flow down her thigh. Kotone tugged her panties on--they were already wet, anyways. Then she found her bra and took off the jacket so she could put it on. They redressed in silence. Her clothes were not yet dry, so Kanade swung his jacket over her again and zipped it up so that she was decent.

They didn't know what to say or do as the awkwardness loomed over them. Kotone held one of Kanade's hands and climbed into his lap, curling up in the hollow formed by his body and against his chest. Kanade wrapped both arms around her.

"I'm tired." She finally whispered.

"Mm." He replied, nose and mouth buried in her hair.

Suddenly, she grabbed his arm.

"Kanade...what if...what if we made a kid?"

"What, then?"

"Then you have to...marry me." Kotone slurred, her eyelids drooping.

Kanade made a half-smile she couldn't see.

"If that ever happens, I guess."

"...promise...me."

She was already asleep.

"Yeah."

The rain had long subsided. But neither of them wanted to move.

* * *

-end-


End file.
